1950s Culture Page 62 NCSCOS Goal 11

Car Culture -post-war boom period More families with cars -growth of suburbia Cars let people commute to the cities to work -Interstate Highway System miles of road to connect the cities Even more suburbs built -trucking industry Long-haul delivery by truck Railroad use declines -social effects People move from cities Gap between rich and poor Life of teenager

Suburbia -most new homes were in the suburbs -baby boom generation 1945-1961: 65 million babies Largest generation in history, 1 child born every 7 seconds -Medical breakthroughs More children survived Jonas Salk – polio vaccine Vaccines developed to fight and prevent childhood disease -Childrearing Dr. Spock’s influence No spanking, talk with children Women stay at home to rear children Of the 13 million new homes built in the 1950s, 85% were built in the suburbs. For many people, the suburbs embodied the American dream of an affordable single-family house, good schools, a safe, healthy environment for children, and congenial neighbors just like themselves. “Suburban areas … inhabited by people in the same class, the same income, the same age group, witnessing the same television performances, eating the same tasteless… foods from the same freezers, conforming in every outward and inward respect to a common mold.” Lewis Mumford

Contributing to the size of the baby boom generation were many factors, including: reunion of husbands and wives after the war, decreasing marriage age, desirability of large families, confidence in continued economic prosperity, and advances in medicine. The baby boom had a tremendous impact no only on child care but also on the American economy and the educational system. In 1958, toy sales alone reached $1.25 billion. During the decade, 10 million new students entered the elementary schools. The sharp increase in enrollment caused overcrowding and teacher shortages in many parts of the country. In California, a new school opened every seven days.

Many parents raised their children according to guidelines devised by the author and pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock. His Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, published in 1946, sold nearly 10 million copies during the 1950s. In it, he advised parents not to spank or scold their children. He also encouraged families to hold meetings in which children could express themselves. He considered it so important that mothers be at home with their children, that he proposed having the government pay mothers to stay home.

Most Americans of the 1950s had more leisure time than ever before Most Americans of the 1950s had more leisure time than ever before. Employees worked a 40-hour week and earned several weeks’ vacation per year. People owned more labor-saving devices, such as washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, and power lawn mowers, which allowed more time for leisure activities. Fortune magazine reported that, in 1953, Americans spent more than $30 billion on leisure goods and activities.

Television -Widely available in 1948 90% had TV by 1955 -FCC strongly controls the industry -Golden Age of Television Especially comedies Milton Berle Lucille Ball Edward R. Murrow Quiz Shows -spurred other industries Refrigerators Frozen dinners

Effects of T.V. -women often appears as perfect homemakers Stereotypical roles -more males represented 3 to 1 ratio of men to women -few minorities seen -portrayed ideal America No poverty, diversity, or real-life conflicts -programming concerns Some shows called too violent quiz show scandals Cheating; all of America felt cheated Not everyone was thrilled with TV. Critics objected to its effects on children and its stereotypical portrayal of women and minorities. Women did, in fact, appear in stereotypical roles, such as the ideal mothers of Father Knows Best and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Male characters outnumbered women three to one. African Americans and Latinos rarely appeared in television programs at all. Many Americans were concerned about the levels of violence on such shows as Gunsmoke and the effects of such shows on their children.

- Nat Cole, black T.V. entertainer- “There’s a lot more integration in the actual life of the U.S. than you’ll find on T.V. But I notice that they always have integration in the prison scenes on television.” - Nat Cole, black T.V. entertainer- “When television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air…and keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that you will observe a vast wasteland. - Newton Minow (Chairman of the FCC in 1961) -

Radio and Movies -radio continued to prosper Local programming of news, weather, music, community issues -movies struggled, but had several advantages Especially size and picture stereo sound “Surround sound” color 3-D movies As more people stayed home to watch television, the number of moviegoers decreased. By 1960, one-fifth of the nation’s movie theaters had been converted into bowling alleys, supermarkets, or stood empty. In 1951, producer David O. Selznick worried that Hollywood “would never come back. It’ll just keep crumbling until finally the wind blows the last studio prop across the sands. Yet, with its stars and its big-screen advantages, Hollywood survived the golden age of television.

Beatniks -beat movement social and literary non-conformists Artists, poets, and writers who followed Buddhism, music, and drugs -non-material lifestyle Did not want jobs, did not want money to buy “stuff” -set precedent for the hippy generation Especially college students -clashed with regular America Jack Kerouac, famous beatnik writer, reading from his beatnik generation book, On the Road

Rock-n-Roll -Alan Freed (aka Moondog) 1950s disc-jockey advocating rock n roll rock-n-roll Mixture of black and white music out of R&B and country Truly American style -Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley Loved by teens, condemned by adults -Ed Sullivan Show -Dick Clark – American Bandstand -reaction to rock music Adults dismissed music as too suggestive and too racial Buddy Holly was an American singer, songwriter, and a pioneer of rock n roll. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him #13 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Although his career was cut short by a plane crash, his body of work is considered among the most influential in rock. His works and innovations were copied by his contemporaries and those who were to follow, including The Beatles and the Rolling Stone, and had a profound influence on popular music.

- H.B. Barnum on Little Richard- “He’d burst onto the stage from anywhere. And you wouldn’t be able to hear anything but the roar of the audience…He’d be on the stage, he’d be off the stage, he’d be jumping and yelling, screaming, whipping the audience on…” - H.B. Barnum on Little Richard-

Elvis Presley, the unofficial “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” first developed his musical style by singing in church and listening to gospel, country, and blues music on the radio in Memphis, Tennessee. When he was a young boy, his mother gave him a guitar, and years later he paid four dollars of his own money to record two songs in 1953. Sam Phillips, a rhythm and blues producer, discovered Presley and produced his first records. In 1955, Phillips sold Presley’s contract to RCA for $35,000. Presley’s live appearances were immensely popular, and 45 of his records sold over a million copies, including “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Hound Dog,” “All Shook Up,” and “Don’t Be Cruel.” Although Look magazine dismissed him a as a “wild troubadour who wails rock ‘n’ roll tunes, flails erratically at a guitar, and wriggles like a peep-show dancer,” Presley’s rebellious style captivated young audiences. Girls screamed when he performed, and boys tried to imitate him.

-Michael Harrington, The Other America- Poverty -1/4 of Americans were below poverty line -”Other America” The elderly, single women and children, minorities -White Flight -millions of middle class whites moved to suburbs -loss of tax dollars hurt city services cities could not afford services for people -lots of rural poor move to cities -breakdown of inner cities -Urban Renewal Build new homes, businesses, etc. for cities “The poor live in a culture of poverty…The poor get sick more than anyone else in society…When they become sick, they are sicker longer than any other group in the society. Because they are sick more often and longer…they lose wages and work…and their prospect is to move to an even lower level…toward even more suffering.” -Michael Harrington, The Other America-

The Other America

Women in America -role of women Movies, television, magazines -glorified role of the housewife -boredom and unfulfilment Not happy with home life -many working women were paid less and restricted to certain jobs Nursing, teaching, office support -Betty Freidan “Feminine Mystique” -beginning of women’s liberation movement Breaking traditional roles of women More active in the 1960s During the 1950s, women’s roles as homemaker and mother were glorified in popular magazines, movies, and TV programs. Time magazine described the homemaker as the “key figure in all suburbia, the thread that weaves between family and community—the keeper of the suburban dream.” In contrast to the ideal, however, some women were not happy with their roles; they felt isolated, bored, and unfulfilled. According to one survey, 1/5 of women were dissatisfied with their lives.

Minority Groups -immigration from Mexico increases Come to work in America between WWI and WWII (Braceros Program) -discrimination was faced by nearly all minorities -Native Americans Citizenship, 1924 -Indian Reorganization Act Gave Native Americans more freedom and less pressure to assimilate